case of the wilmington 10 goes back to 1971 when the city of wilmington was in the midst of a civil-rights struggle. after a white-owned grocery store and a black neighborhood was firebombed, police saucers and firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames but came under gunfire. an african-american teen was killed by police that night and a white man was shot and killed the next day. the national guard moved in. nine black man and one white women -1 one woman or rounded up and hustled off to jail for their alleged involvement in the event. the young defendants were collectively sentenced to a total of more than 280 years of prison. december 1980, the federal fourth court of appeals ordered a new trial and overturned the zero original conviction. the court on the prosecutor had reason to know his chief witness had repeatedly perjured himself on the stand rid the court, prosecutor had bribed witnesses and obfuscated evidence. amnesty international has called the wilmington 10 american political prisoners. the case recently regained public attention in light of newly rediscovered notes attri